Maybe next Time
by Ms. Imperfection
Summary: A waffy, oneshot IYKag. Inuyasha discovers chick flicks!


I'm a long time Inu-reader, first time Inu-writer, so just bear with me. This is just a waffy piece set during some undetermined point mid-anime. It's only purpose is to be cute and fluffy, so don't expect some in depth plot or major conflict. I'll gradually work up to stories like that XD 

Anyway! Hope you all enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed writing.

~ * ~

Inuyasha, unsurprisingly, was fuming. Hands clasped behind his back and a firm pout set in place, his bare feet relentlessly trampled the grass in front of the bone-eaters well as he paced back and forth. How many times would he have to tell that wench not to overstay in her time? You'd think that someone living in a period with so many mechanical contraptions would be more prompt, but that must not have been the case. Clocks or no clocks, Kagome seemed to have no concept of coming back **on time**.

Or maybe she just did it to piss him off?

Keh! It wouldn't surprise him, he thought as he halted in his pacing and leaned heavily against the well. She certainly enjoyed sitting him at every given opportunity. He wouldn't put it past her to stay a few extra days in her time just to push his buttons. A sudden growl issued from his throat at that, and he brought up one hand, tightly fisting his fingers. That was it, no more waiting! It was time to drag her ass back where it belonged!

As he leapt up onto the lip of the well he hesitated, staring into the oblivion within for a moment. Part of his mind argued that Kagome didn't have a mean bone in her body, and if she was late coming back she probably had a good reason. A much more dominant side of his brain, the part that was rash and impatient, quickly crushed that tiny voice. This part wanted to resume the quest for the jewel shards as soon as possible. It also happened to be the part that was simply miserable and unsettled when Kagome wasn't around, but nobody needed to know that.

Jaw set in determination he leapt into the well, feeling the familiar tug of magic as he was pulled five hundred years into the future. Soon enough the smell of the musty well house assaulted his nose, and the distant sounds of the bustling city managed to hum annoyingly loud in his sensitive ears. With a single jump he mounted the lip of the well, claws digging into the rotting wood. Damn, he really hated this place. With all the noise and the strange smells, he couldn't comprehend how anyone could stand it. He was almost glad that he wouldn't be around to watch his beloved wilderness crumble away into this…

Exiting the well house and bounding across the lawn, Inuyasha came to a halt just outside Kagome's home. Amber eyes darted to the window of Kagome's bedroom, which he found mysteriously dark. That was strange. Whenever she was here he usually found her window blazing with golden light as she toiled away inside, 'studying'. It was still fairly early, just a little after sunset, so why was her window dark? Maybe she was sick? That would certainly explain her exceeding the three-day limit he'd given her when she had left—four days ago.

A deep concern ebbing into his brain he moved towards the tree just outside her bedroom window, quickly scrambling up the trunk. Maneuvering across the branches he reached out, easing the pane of glass open and slipping into the room beyond. It was empty, which worried him. If she was sick, she should have been in bed!

Sniffing at the air, his brows quickly knitted together. There didn't seem to be any scent of illness in the room. In fact, the only smells that reached him were the pleasant aromas that always seemed to follow after Kagome. Everything within her room carried a scent of definite femininity, yet thankfully lacked the gagging floral odor that Inuyasha had grown accustomed to smelling on most women. There was also a lingering trace of general cleanness, one of soap and lemons, and he couldn't help but feel calmed by the simplicity of it.

Shaking his head to clear his mind, he began stalking across the carpeted floor. After all, he had more important things to be doing than swooning in Kagome's bedroom. He still had to **find** her. With the realization that she was, in fact, still in perfect health, he could feel his anger slowly returning. When he found her, she'd damn well better have a good excuse. And even then, he was fairly sure he wouldn't spare her any of the verbal abuse he'd planned.

Stepping out into the hall he paused, ears twitching back and forth as they picked up on the sounds of the house. For the Higurashi residence, it was disturbingly quiet. There was no sound of Kagome's mother busily tidying or the smell of her cooking, no incoherent mutterings of Kagome's eccentric grandfather, and last but not least, not a peep from Souta, either. He nearly pouted at that. Not that he'd ever admit it, but he quite liked Kagome's kid brother.

Anyone who had the good sense to worship Inuyasha was okay in his book. As puny humans go, anyway.

A lazy mewl from the floor nearly made Inuyasha trip, and he turned to glare down at Buyo, the Higurashi family's enormous cat. Well, he thought, at least **somebody** was home. Realizing that the hanyou was neither going to pet nor feed him, the cat rose on all four of its stumpy legs, waddling off down the hall before disappearing downstairs. Inuyasha followed the cat with his eyes for a moment before his ears instinctively twitched in the direction of the stairs. He could faintly pick up on the sound of voices, and it made him smirk. It seemed someone besides the cat was home, after all.

He was nearly at the bottom of the stairs when the voices registered to him more clearly, and what he heard made him stop and sneer. There were two voices, one female, and one male. To top it off, however faint may it have been, he was picking up on the undeniable sound of sniffling—Kagome's sniffling. For whatever reason she was upset, and he was going to get to the bottom of it!

"Why… Why aren't you talking?" asked the quivering feminine voice. There was a pause, a breath, then finally, a reply.

"I'm… thinking." Said the male, his voice coolly detached.

"About…?"  


"Things I don't think you'll like…"

For some reason, Inuyasha's feet simply weren't carrying him fast enough. He could see the entrance to the family room, but it seemed to merely be inching towards him at a snails pace. All the while the conversation within the room continued to assault his ears. His anger was rapidly switching directions, turning away from Kagome and moving to whoever this mysterious male speaker was.

"So? Tell me. How am I supposed to know what's wrong if you won't tell me?"

"Nothing's wrong. It's just… It's just not working for me." Muttered the all-too-casual male voice. There was another pause, followed by a shaky intake of breath.

"Why?! Can't we make it work?"

"I don't think so…"

Just who the hell was this jerk, anyway? And what the hell was going on between he and Kagome for it not to be working!? All the while he kept picking up on that saddened sniffling, and it induced a painful clenching around his heart.

"That's not fair! You can't at least give me a reason why?" the female cried desperately, on the verge of breaking down.

"I can't tell you what's wrong because… I don't know. I just don't feel the same anymore."

Finally, at long last, he burst into the living room. The room before him was mostly dark, and empty outside of a lone figure on the couch. All Inuyasha could see of Kagome was the back of her head, but it was clear what she was staring at—there was a large box sitting a few feet in front of her, colored pictures moving behind its single pane of glass. Inuyasha had seen it before in her home, but had never paid it much mind. If he remembered correctly, Souta had called it a 'tell-huh-vision'.

His previously tense shoulders slouched greatly, and he heaved a heavy sigh. In his typical haste he'd once again jumped to an abrupt conclusion. He hadn't stopped to register that the female voice hadn't been even remotely similar to Kagome's at all. In fact, both voices seemed to be coming from that infernal box. Embarrassed, he felt like kicking himself. He was glad Kagome had yet to realize his presence, otherwise he'd never live his moment of rash anger down. Ah, well. At least it spared him the effort of having to rip some guy's throat out. Inuyasha had a feeling that Kagome's mother wouldn't appreciate bloodstains on the living room carpet. And walls. And ceiling. And…

Coming back to himself, Inuyasha's ears once again twitched. There was still the matter of saddened sniffling at hand. That, apparently, hadn't come from the moving-picture box.

Curious, he moved forward, clutching the back of the couch and hoisting himself up and over it. Plopping down directly beside Kagome, he leaned in close as to inspect her. Feeling the shift in weight on the couch, Kagome turned her head to one side in order to face the intrusion, finding herself nearly nose-to-nose with the confused Inuyasha. At his sudden and unexpected presence she squeaked out of fright, bolting to the opposite end of the couch and staring at him with wide, startled eyes. The hand clutching the remote control pointed defensively at him, as if the small black-plastic rectangle were actually an effective weapon. Which it very well could have been, for all the five-hundred-year-old hanyou knew.

"Kagome?" Inuyasha questioned, a single eyebrow quirking.

Kagome, finally registering that it was only Inuyasha and not some deranged burglar, calmed and lowered her 'weapon'. Bringing one hand to her chest, she exhaled deeply.

"Oh, Inuyasha," she breathed, frowning at him ever so slightly. "You startled me."

Rolling his eyes, Inuyasha drew his legs up onto the couch, folding them Indian style. His arms folded over themselves as well, tightly tucked across his chest.

"Keh. Easily frightened women," he muttered, though he was glad her sniffling had stopped. He didn't like to hear her sad. "What do I have to do? Announce my presence every time I come?"

"That'd be nice, though I can usually tell. Most of the time you're rather loud." countered Kagome, grinning despite her aggravating matter-of-fact tone of voice. "Though it'd be cute if we got you a little bell or something!" she joked, giggling to herself. Inuyasha pouted.

"…That isn't funny in the least."

It was now Kagome's turn to roll her eyes, which quickly returned to the television screen. A hard feat to accomplish, considering she found him to be incredibly adorable when he pouted. His lower lip would always protrude out and his head would hang just slightly between his shoulders as snowy white puppy-ears drooped and simply begged to be tweaked—

Bad mind! Bad, bad, bad!

Clearing her throat, she stole a glance at him out of the corner of her eye.

"So… why are you here, Inuyasha?" she asked, only to be met by a characteristic snort.

"Why the hell do you think? To bring you back, obviously." He barked, his pride obviously still hurt by the thought of being collared with a bell. He wasn't sure which would be worse, the bell or his subduing rosary. One was significantly more embarrassing, that was for certain…

"Oh, right. Should have guessed," she paused, sighing gently. "You're mad, aren't you? About my staying a few extra days?"

"Damn straight! I said three days, wench! You can count, can't you?!"

Kagome had to resist the urge to rub her temples, which were threatening to begin a painful throbbing. Once, just once, it'd be nice to spend more than five minutes with him in the absence of bickering. Was that really so much to ask?

Inuyasha began heatedly muttering to himself, and she supposed she had just gotten her answer.

"Look, I'm sorry. Okay? A few of my teachers gave me the opportunity to make up some tests after school, and I just couldn't pass it up. I had to study. That and I… well, sometimes I just miss my family. You can understand that, right? Inuyasha?"

Much to her relief, Inuyasha's normal angered expression seemed to soften at that. Instead of replying he simply nodded, and he too turned his eyes to the television screen. He wasn't so much interested in the moving pictures as he was in looking at anything but her. In all honesty, he felt more than a little guilty. Kagome did, after all, have a life outside the feudal era. **Way** outside the feudal era. There were many times when he didn't acknowledge that fact at all. Damn! Sometimes he was just so selfish!

"…Inuyasha?" Kagome asked, confused by his sudden silence. After a long moment he spoke, though not on the subject at hand. And his voice, just like his expression, was amazingly gentle. 

"Kagome… why were you crying just a little while ago?"

Blinking, Kagome felt heat travel into her cheeks. It wasn't that she was embarrassed, after all, a lot of girls got emotional over sappy movies. She simply wasn't used to the amount of sheer concern for her shining through on Inuyasha's features. It was a rare occurrence, one that never ceased to amaze her. 

"O-Oh, you heard that?" she stammered just slightly, rubbing at her reddened cheeks. "That was nothing. The movie I was watching just got to me, is all."

Inuyasha's eyebrows came together in confusion, and he eyed her suspiciously. Sure, the conversation he'd overheard might have been rather devastating to a young female had it been real life; he found them to be overly emotional like that. But for it to have been fictional? It was hard to believe that the reincarnate of a great miko who had seen a great deal of worse tragedies in the past few months than many would witness in their entire lives would get weepy over some fabricated break-up. 

"…Why?" asked Inuyasha, still looking to be in disbelief. Kagome shrugged.

"It was just sad, is all. The girl in the movie liked this one guy for a very long time, but he never paid any attention to her. Finally he seemed to come around and noticed her, and they got together. She tried really hard to be the best she could for him, and just when everything seemed to be going perfect, he decided that he's not ready for a committed relationship. Tell me that isn't sad." 

"Keh." Inuyasha replied. "She'll get over it."

"Oh come on!" protested Kagome, edging back towards him, absent-mindedly resting a hand on his knee. "You're only unaffected because you came in at the middle. I'll bet if you watched one from the beginning you'd feel a lot different."

"I doubt it." muttered Inuyasha, eyes trained on the delicate hand resting on his knee, appearing so pale against the bright red fabric of his pants.

"Fine then," Kagome began, moving away—much to Inuyasha's hidden dismay. Her hand had been nice and warm! "Well just have to see about that…"

Leaning forward she grabbed for a large pile of black plastic boxes that were resting on the coffee table. Drawing them to her, Kagome set the large pile beside her on the couch cushion, beginning to rifle through them. Inuyasha watched her in silence for a moment, unsure of what she was doing.

"What're those and why do you have so damned many?"

"Oh, these? These are movies. Everybody had plans for tonight; one of Mama's old friends came into town for a visit, Souta had a sleepover to go to, and grandpa is over at another local temple exchanging hoax-ey spells with the priest there. So I decided to have a girl's night in. You know, stay home, eat popcorn, and stay up late watching sappy movies. I had just gotten back from the video rental store and popped one in a little before you came." she explained, selecting one of the 'movies' from the immense stack.

Returning the rest of the stack to the coffee table, Kagome stood and made her way to the television, beginning to fiddle with yet another contraption Inuyasha could never hope to understand. She was bent over and fussing over the thing for a long time before the hanyou finally realized that she wasn't wearing anything but a long shirt of some kind, one that stopped an inch or two before the green skirt of her usual attire would. He was just beginning to lose the internal battle over whether or not to enjoy the view when she threw him a innocent glance over her shoulder, all to oblivious to her state of undress.

"Join me?"

Fearing he'd been caught in the act, Inuyasha quickly snapped his gaze up in order to meet hers, gulping.

"Uh…wha? Oh! Sure. Whatever…" he managed, not particularly having heard what she'd asked him. 

"Great!" she chirped, surprising him with her enthusiasm.

Pressing the 'play' button, Kagome bounded back over to the couch, plopping down closer to him than Inuyasha had expected. She was so close, in fact, that her bare outer thigh was pressed lightly against his clothed one. Okay, so maybe he **had **gotten himself trapped into watching these stupid movies of hers, but as the warmth of her leg seeped into his own skin, he had a feeling that the evening wouldn't be entirely unenjoyable. Though he couldn't help but feel just a little out of place. There he was, about to enjoy a rare, quiet evening with a half-dressed Kagome in the modern era, five hundred years away from everything he knew. Yet strangely, that wasn't the trouble that was plaguing his mind. It was instead something much greater.

Since when had he begun to think like Miroku?!

~*~

Three hours, forty-five minutes, and two and a half movies later, Inuyasha was beginning to grow positively sick of the amount of sheer mush he'd been subjected to. Was this really how males and females acted around on another in the modern era? With all their subtleties and indirect methods, it was no wonder it took months in movie-time for the idiotic, lovesick humans on screen to get together!

Though he supposed he wasn't one to talk. He wasn't the most direct person in the world when it came to admitting his feelings.

Kagome, of course, had enjoyed every minute of his torture. Though he doubted she was really aware of just how much he hated this. She was far too absorbed in the repetitive plots of every movie they watched, her eyes never wavering from the television screen. Swinging his arm up along the back of the couch he mentally groaned, quickly approaching his breaking point. Truth be told the movies made him feel a little uncomfortable; to bear witness to so many private declarations of love, fictional or not, seemed a little wrong to him. How did the people of Kagome's time find these things entertaining?

A soft, wistful sigh from Kagome snapped him out of his thoughts, causing him to glance at her out of the corner of his eye. The sky beyond the windows had long since grown dark, and Kagome had never turned a light on within the room. This left only the television screen to illuminate her form, bathing her pale skin and raven tresses in a soft bluish-white. If he were anything like the charming, flirtatious man in the movie they were presently watching, he would have told her so.

Unfortunately for Kagome, he wasn't. The subconscious compliment never left his lips.

Much to his surprise, Kagome shifted closer ever-so-slightly, though it was enough for her to be nestled lightly in the warm crook between his side and where his arm rested along the back of the couch. Her shoulder blades were warm against his forearm, and the rest of her was a ghosted, comforting presence along his side. His sap-induced frustration completely forgotten, Inuyasha found himself silently wishing she'd scoot closer just a millimeter more.

Kagome's voice quickly brought Inuyasha back to his senses. The television screen had just turned all black, hundreds of names in white slowly scrolling across it from bottom to top.

"That was cute, wasn't it, Inuyasha?" she asked, causing him to blink and stare at her dazedly. Too caught up in admiring how the soft lighting accentuated her features, he'd nearly missed what she'd asked him. What had been cute? "Inuyasha? Are you okay? Are you even listening?" probed Kagome, dark brows scrunching together.

"Of course I am!" he snapped defensively, tongue at last forming words. "I was just thinking…"

Kagome's brow quirked upwards, and she tilted her head to one side curiously.

"Oh? About what?" she inquired, a slight frown tugging at the corner of her mouth. She was getting a strong feeling of déjà vu; after all, she'd heard this dialogue just a few hours before, in the movie she'd been watching when Inuyasha had first arrived.

Inuyasha, in the meantime, was concentrating on just how close she was and how pleasantly the warmth of her body radiated into his. A few select thoughts that came to mind made a mixture of emotions cloud his mind—giddiness, embarrassment, curiosity, and last but certainly not least, guilt. He tried his hardest to blame the surplus of romantical thoughts involving Kagome on the fact that he'd had to watch her stupid movies for what felt like an eternity now, and that they were beginning to melt his mind to mush. But even he wasn't fooled by his lies. No matter what his heart seemed to want in that moment, how appealing the girl before him was, his brain chidingly reminded him that he'd already made a choice. One that left him belonging to another; one that he found himself nearly regretting on more than one occasion…

At long last he cleared his throat, replying, "Just thinking about how glad I am that it's finally over." he muttered; though his response lacked the edge Kagome would have expected.

Kagome rolled her eyes playfully, his answer not surprising her in the least. Though as the last of the credits rolled she finally seemed to realize how she had come to lean slightly against him, and instantly felt blood rush to her cheeks. Moving away to a more safe distance, she looked to the coffee table. They had gone through most of her selected pile of tapes, and now only one remained unwatched.

"Ah, well. You've been a good boy. Over two hours and barely a peep or curse out of you. I'm proud, Inuyasha." she murmured, and Inuyasha had to fight off the urge to pout. To be complimenting him, she sounded somewhat playfully sarcastic, if not condescending.

"Hnf." was his only reply.

Leaning forward, Kagome grabbed the remaining tape, dangling it just slightly in front of his eyes.

"Well, then. I suppose I couldn't persuade you into watching the last one, hmm?"

Inuyasha opened his mouth to protest, then snapped it shut. While the movie aspect wasn't his idea of fun, this unusually prolonged enjoyment of her company—devoid of any argument—had been most pleasant. He couldn't deny that his enjoyment of it brought forth a fountain of guilt, especially when he was met with the image of Kikyou every time he closed his eyes, but neither could he deny the rarity of this occasion. How long, if ever again, would it be that such peace and tranquility would be shared between them? He was uneager to end it just yet.

"I…" he hesitated, looking to her as a faint, though unbidden, smile passed over his lips. "I think I can stomach one more."

Kagome gawked at him, as if in shock. Inuyasha allowed himself a smirk, reaching out and hooking his fingers beneath her chin, forcing her agape mouth to a close. Kagome blushed shyly at the contact, moving her head away.

"What?" he asked, eyeing her curiously. "Did I surprise you?"

Kagome nodded, smiling over her shoulder at him as she retrieved the last of the tapes, moving to place it in the VCR. She hadn't expected him to agree. In fact, she'd been fairly certain that he would once again begin insisting that they return to the feudal era. She supposed that, no matter how predictable she thought him at times, he still has some pleasant surprises up his sleeve.

"Yeah," she replied, softly. "You did…"

~*~

This last movie hadn't seemed as painstakingly horrid to Inuyasha, quite surprisingly. In fact, he was enjoying it to some degree—probably due to the accidental trace of familiarity it presented. It had begun as the simple story of a young girl, a girl who was merely trying her best to survive a particularly grueling school year. By some chance happenings she found herself associating with a man whom, under normal circumstances, she wouldn't have bothered with at all; he seemed to be a 'bad boy' of sorts. As the story progressed the two were continually thrown together, and they soon began to fall for each other. All was going smoothly until the man's past lover came into the picture, at which point everything became much more complicated.

Kagome and Inuyasha both felt deep sympathy for the main character of their respective sex.

As the couple on screen began to bicker, Inuyasha's brows arched and Kagome fought off a giggle. They were simultaneously wondering if that's what they looked like when they argued. With a barely audible snort, Inuyasha shook his head. No argument could ever look like the ones between he and Kagome. Quite fortunately, not all women were able to get their hands on subduing rosaries.

Glancing up, Kagome caught Inuyasha's flat expression, and gently prodded him in the side.

"Why the face?" she asked.

"Keh. I was just thinking that, if we were them, my face would have been long since planted in the ground." grumbled Inuyasha in reply. Kagome couldn't help but laugh at that.

"Yeah, but they aren't us. Obviously," she retorted, motioning to the screen. Fed up with arguing, the main male had decided to silence the leading lady in a most interesting way—by kissing her. "None of our spats ever ended like that."

The minute the words left her mouth, Kagome knew that she was blushing profusely, though Inuyasha's cheeks tinted slightly as well. After but a moment of awkward silence, however, the corner of the hanyou's lips slowly began to quirk upwards in a cocky smile.

"Well, seeing how quick the guy shut her up, I just might have to try that method sometime." Inuyasha shot back, much to Kagome's surprise.

"You….you wouldn't." replied Kagome, her voice almost a whisper. It wasn't that the thought of him quieting her with a kiss wasn't positively thrilling. It was! She just knew better. There would always be the memory of the undead miko hovering close by within Inuyasha's mind. His threat was nothing but a joke.

Inuyasha of course, dense as ever, misinterpreted her sudden downcast behavior. Frowning and folding his arms tightly over his chest, he glared holes into the coffee table.

"What's the matter, the thought of me too repulsive for you? Maybe you'd rather it be that wimpy wolf, eh?" he asked, a biting quality that she was all too familiar with returning to his voice. Kagome groaned.

"That's not what I meant!" she protested, hands fisting at her sides.

"So what did you mean?!" demanded Inuyasha, lifting his golden gaze to meet her chocolate brown one.

"You seriously have to ask? Are you so quick to forget Kikyou?"

Inuyasha winced at that, suddenly realizing his misinterpretation. Snapping his mouth shut, he hung his head just slightly. No. He'd never be quick to forget Kikyou. Somehow everything managed lead back to her. **Everything**. But such was the choice he'd made.

Sensing that their peaceful evening had come to a screeching halt, Inuyasha stood and made to move towards the door in retreat. He was just about to exit the family room when she stood, following after him. Reaching out, Kagome gripped her fingers in the fabric of one long sleeve, tugging back on it gently.

"See?" she spoke softly, and even with his sensitive ears, Inuyasha almost had to strain in order to hear. "I knew you wouldn't."

Halting in his movement, Inuyasha hesitantly turned, eyes downcast. Slowly he lifted one clawed hand and brought it to rest on her cheek, and like every other time he'd touched her, Kagome felt her stomach come to life with butterflies. 

"Kagome…" he breathed, causing her to look up at him in anticipation. The intensity of his amber eyes as they looked upon her sent electrical sparks up and down her spine, made her knees feel as if they would turn to jelly at any moment. She should have known better, but Kagome couldn't help but hope that his voice was strained in passion instead of apology.

It was the undeniably eager quality on Kagome's countenance that made Inuyasha wince guiltily, forcing him to pull away before it could go any further. He was quick in turning his back to her as her bottom lip quivered ever so slightly; it always did that just before her expressive eyes filled with hurt. Inuyasha knew that if he saw them, he wouldn't be able to fight off the urge to embrace her. By doing so would only fill both their minds with improbable possibilities, not to mention add on to his growing guilty conscious.

He was slightly relieved when he had nearly reached the front door to her home and she had yet to follow. It was, however, a shallow victory; he knew that, behind him, she stood where he'd left her, hurt and confused. And though he couldn't bring himself to look back at her, he knew he couldn't just leave it at that. Hand resting on the doorknob, poised to turn it, he paused.

"Tonight… was nice, Kagome." He murmured softly, honestly. "Maybe we can do it again sometime."

He stood at the door in silence for a moment, half expecting her to say something. When she didn't speak a word he sighed, opening the door and preparing to dash back to the well and retreat to his own time, where he could thoroughly kick himself. 

"I'll see you in the morning. Be ready." And with that, he was gone.

Kagome stood there for several minutes after he'd gone, eyes flashing from the floor to the door, then back. In his haste to run he'd left the door open just a crack, allowing a chilly wind from outside to blow in and assault her bare legs. Sluggishly walking forward, Kagome pushed the door too and then proceeded to lean against it. Despite how the evening had turned out, Inuyasha had said he'd enjoyed it. And she had too, no doubt about that. Now if only things could have ended just a little differently!

Sighing, Kagome swept a hand through her long, dark tresses. Surprisingly, none of the moisture that had begun to build in her eyes had managed to escape. As sad as it was, she was beginning to get used to this, and tears didn't come as often as they had used to. She wasn't quite sure whether that was a good thing or a bad thing. And despite everything, a tiny smile managed to breathe life to her lips as Inuyasha's words echoed in her head.

__

'Maybe we can do it again sometime.'

Like many times before and countless times that would come after, even in the face of rejection, Kagome's hope lived on. Returning to the living room she shut off the television and VCR, then beat a swift retreat upstairs. Already in her nightclothes she promptly dived into bed, grabbing for her pillow and hugging her arms around it, pretending that it was a certain hanyou. As sleep slowly claimed her thoughts she still wore the faintest of smiles, though this one was in anticipation of their next argument.

Hey, a girl can dream. Can't she?

~*~

Sheesh! For a oneshot, this took an awfully long time to write. Three days, I think! I'm pretty sure it's because there were so many different directions I thought about taking with the end. Personally, I'm all for mush. I really, really wanted them to kiss. The plot had other ideas, however. (Well, what little plot there way, anyhow.) Strangely this wound up staying somewhat true to typical Inuyasha-verse goings on. You know how it goes. The moment is all intense and has you 'squeeing' in giddiness when… nothing happens. No kiss. No nothing-- only a few gushy parting words. Much to my surprise, it's the direction this piece took. Oh well. I'm evil. Muwahahahahahaha!

Ahem. Reviews much appreciated. After all, how else can I improve myself? ^_~ Thanks for reading!

-MsImp


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